Washington – The head of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration will retire after four and a half years leading the 60,000-employee agency, the Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday.
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John Pistole, who has led TSA since June 2010, has overseen security operations at more than 450 airports around the United States, the department said.
Pistole “has been integral in leading TSA’s transformation to a risk-based, intelligence-driven counterterrorism agency dedicated to protecting our transportation systems,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
“Because of his efforts over the past four and a half years, our country’s transportation systems are more safe and secure,” Johnson added.
Pistole “has been integral in leading TSA’s transformation to a risk-based, intelligence-driven counterterrorism agency dedicated to protecting our transportation systems,”
Really??? … if it is “risk-based”, why are middle-aged Jewish men and women asked to take their shoes off before boarding aircraft? Even if terrorists supposedly “dress-up” as Jews, the middle-age physique, hair colour, age on their passport etc. cannot be easily faked.
BTW, Mr. TSA-Genius, the last attempted shoe-bombing occurred in 2001 (not long after 9/11 (which the TSA and other federal agencies totally botched)).
If you want good procedures, talk to Israel. Their record is a lot better and have more enemies more frequently. They also “profile” people. It is long overdue to do away with political correctness and just get the job done as efficiently as possible.
Have you noticed you never see the heads of police agencies like the TSA, FBI or DEA on the Sunday morning talk shows? That is how unpopular and indefensible their agencies have become.
To #1 -“Really”- Regarding your remarks, kindly be advised that the TSA was not even in existence on 9/11/01. It was formed after that attack. Secondly, if you don’t wish to remove your shoes any longer, all you have to do is enroll in the Pre-TSA screening program. For a modest fee, plus a background check, (and if you are approved), you will no longer have to take your shoes off. I enrolled in that, and hence, I can now go to the express lane, with my shoes on.
Incidentally, Pistole wasn’t that great. He wanted to let people carry small knives on planes, again. If it wasn’t for the opposition of flight crews and other consumer groups, his ridiculous proposal might have succeeded.